Astronomers Have Discovered 2 Super-Earths Orbiting a Nearby Star

https://www.sciencealert.com ^ | 16 JUNE 2022 | MICHELLE STARR

[JimRed]

Earth’s atmosphere seen from afar would look like a nearly paper-thin coating, wouldn’t it?

[dljordan]

Does that mean they have super Chicagos, super NYCs and super DCs?

No thanks.

[Red Badger]

Yep. 50 mile (nominally) versus 7900 miles diameter.............

[JimRed]

When the first sent load of colonists arrive, they find a bustling Earth built community had arrived 1,000 years before them!

The inner exoplanet, HD 260655 b, is around 1.2 times the size of Earth and twice the mass of Earth, and orbits the star every 2.8 days. The outer world, HD 260655 c, is 1.5 times the size and thrice the mass of Earth, and has a 5.7-day orbit.

Gives a whole new meaning to the concept of years: a 2.8 day year and a 5.7 day year. I assume that's in Earth days. Depending on the rate of rotation, the day there might be longer than the year!

[Scrambler Bob]

Note: “nearby” = 19400000000000000 miles.
= = =

But at today’s fuel prices, less than $1 per mile, if cashing in the national dept.

[Salman]

An "Earth like" planet is one with roughly the same composition as Earth. Markers are a solid surface (unlike Jupiter), and enough atmosphere to have weather patterns (unlike Mercury). Familiar examples are Venus and Mars. So really not all that much like Earth, except compared to what else is out there.

Super Earth == Earth like but significantly bigger than Earth.

It's reasonable terminology for astronomers, but journalists want a sexy story.